The principal secretary of UP Transport Department has directed Ghaziabad authorities to ensure that all buses operating in the city with permits for city routes shall be CNG-driven.

The principal secretary, UP Transport Department has directed Ghaziabad authorities to ensure that all buses operating in the city with permits for city routes shall be CNG-driven.(Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

The regional transport office (RTO), Ghaziabad, has formulated a proposal to make it mandatory for all buses with a permit for city routes to run on compressed natural gas (CNG).

The department will hold a meeting regarding the same on July 15 to chalk out plans to implement the proposal.

The move comes after Kumar Arvind Singh Dev, principal secretary of the Uttar Pradesh transport department, directed the Ghaziabad authorities to ensure all buses operating in the city are running on CNG.

“A proposal has been sent to Dev regarding the same for approval. It is expected to be approved in a day or two after which a meeting will be held on July 15 with all the concerned officials for implementation,” said Mayank Jyoti, regional transport officer, Ghaziabad.

The directions were issued at a meeting held on June 27 that was chaired by Dev and attended by senior officials of the city, including regional officer of Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board, Ghaziabad, regional officer of Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation, Ghaziabad, superintendent of police (traffic) and additional district magistrate, Ghaziabad.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT), while hearing a petition filed by Kaushambi Apartments’ resident’s welfare association (KARWA) on May 24, had directed Dev to organise a meeting to discuss ideas to check pollution in Kaushambi.

“We have received directions to ensure that all buses with permits for city routes must run on CNG. A meeting will soon be held for the implementation of the same,” said PK Bose, regional officer of the UPSRTC, Ghaziabad.

According to the minutes of the meeting, a total of seven directions were passed by the principal secretary, including removal of pressure horns from all buses - UPSRTC as well as private - removing private carriage buses from Kaushambi and removal of taxis and autorickshaws from the area.

“As per directions of the NGT, we have already removed pressure horns from all UPSRTC buses in Ghaziabad,” said Bose.

The district administration, the traffic police and the Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation were directed to remove all vendors and hawkers from the Kaushambi bus depot and provide them a proper designated spot to set up their shop, according to the Street Vendor Act, 2014.

“We have been conducting regular anti-encroachment drives in and around Kaushambi and also removing all private contract carriages from the area on a regular basis as per the directions. Private buses are being penalised for using pressure horns and have been directed to remove them,” said Rajesh Kumar, superintendent of police (traffic), Ghaziabad.

According to a senior official of the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board, the presence of two bus depots - one at Kaushambi and the other across the road in Anand Vihar - can be counted as one of the main reasons behind the rise in pollution in the area.

“The move to replace diesel buses in the city with CNG-run buses will definitely resolve the problem of pollution in not only Kaushambi but also Ghaziabad,” said Paras Nath, regional officer, UPPCB, Ghaziabad, who also attended the meeting.